Behavioral Adaptations and Communication 12/30/2018

Behavioral Patterns Behavior- the way an animal reacts to changes in its environment Response – a specific reaction Stimulus – something in the environment to which an organism responds. 12/30/2018

Innate Behavior (Instincts) Inborn pattern of behavior that is genetically coded Maternal instincts, “primal fear”, competition Babies - suckling 12/30/2018

Suckling Innate behavior of infants and young mammals Provides food to the baby, allows survival 12/30/2018

More Instincts How to make a nest How to find food, what to eat How to mate Where to migrate How to avoid predators 12/30/2018

Reflexes Automatic reaction to a stimulus without conscious control Can be innate or learned i.e. Knee jerk, blinking, pulling hand from hot stove 12/30/2018

Infant Reflexes Grasping 12/30/2018

Taxis Taxis – movement of an organism due to an external stimulus (animals – not plants!) Can be (+) toward stimulus or (-) away from stimulus Phototaxis – response to light Chemotaxis – response to chemical 12/30/2018

Migration Seasonal movement of species members due to environmental condition changes i.e. Geese and Whales 12/30/2018

Why Migrate? Weather gets colder Food supplies get scarce 12/30/2018

Estivation State of dormancy, usually during the summer, occurring in many amphibians, such as frogs. Lower metabolic rate, and will sometimes begin to respire anaerobically Response to environment being hot and dry and unfavorable 12/30/2018

Hibernation Act of passing the winter in a deep sleep, with lower metabolic functions and heart rate. Strategy for dealing with decreased food supplies in winter ie. bears 12/30/2018

Advantages of migration and hibernation Allows animal to survive periods when food and other resources are not available Allows animal to take advantage of favorable conditions in another location 12/30/2018

Learned Behavior Behavior determined by prior experiences Humans: learning to drive, read, sew Dog: sit, fetch, stay 12/30/2018

Learned Behavior Imprinting- Learning based on early experience Once occurred, cannot be changed Keeps young animals close to mother who protects and feeds them 12/30/2018

Konrad Lorenz Imprinting with Geese 12/30/2018

Learned Behavior Habituation – learning process by which an animal decreases or stops its response to a repetitive stimulus Example: You live near a train track and after a while you no longer “hear” the train whistle 12/30/2018

Habituation An animal learns not to respond to a repeated stimulus Example: Dog stops barking at familiar people 12/30/2018

Learned Behavior Classical Conditioning – teaching a response to a new stimulus Ex: Pavlov’s Dogs 12/30/2018

Learned Behavior Trial and Error – learning through positive (food, praise) and negative (punishment) reinforcement 12/30/2018

Communication Passing of information from one organism to another. Visual signals Chemical signals Sound signals Language 12/30/2018

Social Behavior Communication in social insects using pheromones (chemical signals). Bees, ants and termites 12/30/2018

Courtship Rituals Behaviors which precede mating. Can consist of dancing, posing, fighting, “jousting” 12/30/2018

Purpose of Mating Rituals? Enables animals to identify healthy, reproductively fit mates of the same species Courtship rituals are species specific 12/30/2018

Blue footed booby Peacock 12/30/2018

Courtship in animals is the behaviour by which different species select their partners for reproduction. Usually, the male starts thecourtship, and the female chooses to either mate or reject the male based on his "performance". Many animals have mate-selection courtship rituals 12/30/2018

Courtship Dance with cranes Red Crowned Cranes 12/30/2018

Social Behavior Territorial Defense – Conserves resources Protects organisms from getting hurt by fighting Fighting Fish 12/30/2018

Mocking bird “mobbing” an American Kestrel Bighorn Sheep Mocking bird “mobbing” an American Kestrel 12/30/2018

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Plant Responses & Adaptations Edwin P. Davis, M.Ed.

Auxins Auxins are produced in the apical meristem and are transported downward into the rest of the plant. Auxins stimulate cell elongation. The Auxin collects on the dark side of the shoot, this causes greater growth here and as a result, the shoot bends towards the light source.

Tropisms The response of plants to external a stimuli Plant tropisms include: gravitropism, phototropism, and thigmotropism.

Phototropism The tendency of a plant to grow toward a source of light

Gravitropism The response of a plant to the force of gravity

Thigmotropism Response of plants to touch Growth is a response to touch a plant will curl & twist around objects Grapevine